Convertible top replacement progress thread

[1987LXragtop]

Well Ive done some searching here and found that most people believe the DIY convertible top replacement is best done by a shop ($$$$) and that a fool does it himself. Well damn it I am that fool.
The very first engine swap I ever did, I did by myself with little more than a Haynes manual so no reason I cant replace a top as long as time and patience are used.
I am going to try to do a detailed instructional progress thread so that anyone can refer back to it and they dont have to buy the 20 - 25 dollar dvds that people sell.
The top was just delivered today with all the padding cable adhesive and staples so I'll probably start with the disassembly portion tonight.

updates to follow......

 

[stykthyn]

I tackled it. came out "ok" if a shop had produced that quality of work I would have been upset, but seeing as how I did it at home with little to no guidance I feel I did alright for myself. Either way it worked and looked a lot better than the old top.

 

[1987LXragtop]

I figure any is better than whats left of a 23 year old top. The pics will show why I can never drive it in the rain

 

[stykthyn]

I figure any is better than whats left of a 23 year old top. The pics will show why I can never drive it in the rain

that is exactly where I was at. My home job had some wrinkles that I am sure my "inexperience" kept me from getting rid of. plan for 2 days and just take your time.

 

[7upstang91]

Sweet! Glad someone is doing a thread on it. I doubt I will tackle this by myself.

 

[1987LXragtop]

Thanks. Started last night. Taking photos the whole way of course but only got done the front bow because the tack strip cracked in a couple place while I was removing the 600 million staples. So repaired it and going to tackle more disassembly tonight.
Ill post all the pics at once in an easy to follow format.

 

[Ozz]

Very cool - I thought about attempting it myself but when I finally decided to do it I didn't have enough allowable downtime. I just brought it to a shop about 10 minutes away.

I'd be interested in the total time invested into doing this. Good luck!

 

[Darkwriter77]

Fearing the hassle and expense of a top replacement on a fox 'vert was one of the biggest reasons why I got rid of my '86 GT 'vert. Well, that and the fact that it was slow as hell...

Hat's off to ya' for having the gonads to give it a go yourself, dude. Lookin' forward to seeing the process.

 

[1987LXragtop]

Thanks. I took the rest apart tonight. It actually comes apart real easy, which shouldnt be a shock as it was falling apart. Of course most things do disassemble easy but taking it slowly apart helps you see how it goes back together.
Looks like this might not have been the original top anyway because it appears to have been half assed together.

 

[Lawbreaker5.0]

Subscribing

 

[satanas]

Going to do mine after I get my car finished up with paint.good luck

 

[1987LXragtop]

Just a quick update. I didnt do it the top over the week end. The old one is now gone but found a couple issues that need repair. One of the bows had a slight bend that I had to fix and the PO cut one of the lines to the hydraulics that I need to fix. Should be done this week but its been hot and humid so not going quickly.

 

[aar0s]

behind the rear quarter on the drivers side theres a flap, for lack of a better word, that tucks around and behind the piece that the quarter window rolls up into. this flap is sposta be glued in but mine has come unglued, what are you using for adhesive there?

 

[1987LXragtop]

Its not glued. If you go around from the inside you 'll see 2 bolts that are there. One up top and one at the bottom. Slide the flap back in and tighten the nuts and youre done. The head of those bolts are in the channel for the window so if you tighten the nuts and they dont do anything but turn the whole bolt then you will want to secure them from the window side or replace them entirely but its easy.

The second half of this will show you what I mean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds7nPaArFjA

 

[stykthyn]

behind the rear quarter on the drivers side theres a flap, for lack of a better word, that tucks around and behind the piece that the quarter window rolls up into. this flap is sposta be glued in but mine has come unglued, what are you using for adhesive there?

I have used gorilla glue in the guide rail with decent success in the past

 

[aar0s]

Its not glued. If you go around from the inside you 'll see 2 bolts that are there. One up top and one at the bottom. Slide the flap back in and tighten the nuts and youre done. The head of those bolts are in the channel for the window so if you tighten the nuts and they dont do anything but turn the whole bolt then you will want to secure them from the window side or replace them entirely but its easy.

The second half of this will show you what I mean YouTube - Mustang 83-93 Convertible Top Installion Instructions video on DVD

Son of a bitch, i wondered what those holes in the back of the sail panel were for. mine dont have the bolts or the the studs.
i wonder if i can take one of the sail panels out and get a bolt from work to fit.
if you think about it can you get me a pic of hte sail panel and how the bolts fit into it while you have yours out?
the passenger side is glued in place and is holding well but the drivers side i have to tuck back into place all the time.
get this done and we'll have to petition Timeless to add it to the sticky of stickys!

 

[1987LXragtop]

You should be able to use something like a couple 1/4-20 by 1.5 inch bolts and slide them through from the channel side. Use one with a phillips or standard head so you can hold them with a screw driver. Climb into the back seat and you should be able to see them from inside and just tighten the nut and your golden!
Photographing the hell out of this and writing it up so no one should have trouble in the future.
On a side note I fixed the one cut line refilled the pump and put the top down and as soon as it got all the way down another line exploded. So looks like I will be replacing all the hydraulic lines but the coating of fluid all over everything should do a nice job of keeping the rust away! (see old thread from dude who greased his mustang )

 

[aar0s]

got the sail panel out and it still had the studs on it. cleaned it, put some gorilalala glue on it and bolted the sail panel back into place. didnt do as smooth a job as i would have liked but its better than what it was. I tightened the bolts tight and checked the ones on the other side and they were loose too. now all i need to do is adjust that damn quarter window so it will roll down with the top up and ill be in business!
Thanks for the tip on the sail panels!

 

[1987LXragtop]

Just a quick update. Have most of it done. Just have to attach to the front bow, bolt in the sail panels and put on the rear bow out side trim and Im done. Quite a learning experience and not unhappy with it. Will be completely weather tight. The garage smells like new car vinyl
I'll start to organize photos and put together a proper instruction guide later this week and post it up in the tech section. Hopefully it will be helpful to anyone who decides to do it themselves later.

 

[1987LXragtop]

Crap ...going to have to run full tailpipes now.